Except that, bless their hearts, they probably would have no idea what I was doing.

Ha! Plus it only works if at least three people join in. But how bout this? Every time you hear the word "norm" you immediately interrupt with "Good afternoon everybody". Also be prepared with one liners in case you have a quick colleague that comes back with "What'll it be Norm?".

The barrier itself is annoying-but-whatever, but this sign just pushes my irrational petty annoyance buttons. First of all, chastising people for going the wrong way on what is clearly a two way street. There's about a 5 foot long section of one-lane chokepoint at the end of the block, where no one lives, so no you're not going the wrong way where it's residential with kids, you're going the wrong way for 5 feet before it's residential.

Second of all, oh, it's *residential*? Well excuuuuuuuuse me

Third, *KIDS* live here? *YOUR* kids? Thanks for mentioning that, they score more points after all.

And it amuses me how the sign is basically admitting that the barrier didn't work, as additional guilting is apparently needed.

In some ways I just wish they'd be done with the pretending and just put up crossing gates that you need a resident transponder to open. It would be more honest.about wanting to create gated communities with public streets.

"Never forget: a war on undocumented immigrants by necessity is a war on all of our freedoms of association and movement."

It may be a one-way street at the end there, to prevent people from using it as a commuting thoroughfare. The street may be two-way for traffic already on the street, i.e. the residents, so that it doesn't make residents go out and around to get to something at the other end, but that doesn't make it two-way at the intersection. Your photo doesn't show the whole configuration of the channelizing island, but it's probably designed to allow emergency vehicles access from that end as well, so they don't want to make it be super narrow. Plus, super narrow still won't stop people who are all "well, Waze told me to turn down this road, so even if it looks like I shouldn't I'll just go here." If a channelizing island and a black and white sign don't work, exactly what do you think they should do to encourage people to comply with the traffic law there? You're basically down to stepped up enforcement and guilt.

I can understand being annoyed at the annoyed tone of the sign, and I'm not a big fan of the most prevalent forms of traffic calming (speed humps, ridiculous speed limits, unwarranted stop signs and signals), but I can also understand the frustration of people who, due to the fact that their residential road happens to be part of a coincidentally convenient cut through from one collector road to another, end up with a lot of pissy drivers (because it's sooooooo much of a hassle to be caught in traffic, and we know that people take out their frustrations in extra speed and aggressiveness) going down their street far too quickly, contributing to accidents and making it difficult to enter and exit.

"Sharks do not go around challenging people to games of chance like dojo breakers."

I knew lots of "Catholics aren't really Christians"" back in the day (and one girl from high school, who went on to attend Liberty University, who also argued that the King James version was the ONLY version of the Bible you could read) -- if that is indeed true, then there were no real Christians at all for the first 1500+ years after Jesus died.

"Myself, despite what they say about libertarians, I think we're actually allowed to pursue options beyond futility or sucking the dicks of the powerful." -- Eric the .5b

if that is indeed true, then there were no real Christians at all for the first 1500+ years after Jesus died.

If you haven't read the latest Neal Stephenson novel (Fall: or, Dodge in Hell) you should. About 300 pages in the characters encounter a, um, unique sect of Christians, with a belief system so bizarre that it required the world's most insular social media bubble to create.

"There are so few people at the Federal Mall it's almost as empty as it was at Trump's inauguration."
--D.A. Ridgely

I knew lots of "Catholics aren't really Christians"" back in the day (and one girl from high school, who went on to attend Liberty University, who also argued that the King James version was the ONLY version of the Bible you could read) -- if that is indeed true, then there were no real Christians at all for the first 1500+ years after Jesus died.

I like the KJV for its poetry and have read most of it. Which makes me more knowledgeable about it than most evangelicals. I love to skewer them with questions about the Tenth plague of Egypt (the killing of the first-born) and Judges 11:30-40 (the sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter.)

If Trump supporters wanted a tough guy, why did they elect such a whiny bitch? - Mo

I knew lots of "Catholics aren't really Christians"" back in the day (and one girl from high school, who went on to attend Liberty University, who also argued that the King James version was the ONLY version of the Bible you could read) -- if that is indeed true, then there were no real Christians at all for the first 1500+ years after Jesus died.

Well, there wasn't really a Catholic church per se for several hundred years (although the Catholics of course hold that it has been an unbroken line since Peter). The history of the early church was actually pretty diverse, but the Catholic church systematically crushed every offshoot that it could, IMO.

I sort of feel like a sucker about aspiring to be intellectually rigorous when I could just go on twitter and say capitalism causes space herpes and no one will challenge me on it. - Hugh Akston

I knew lots of "Catholics aren't really Christians"" back in the day (and one girl from high school, who went on to attend Liberty University, who also argued that the King James version was the ONLY version of the Bible you could read) -- if that is indeed true, then there were no real Christians at all for the first 1500+ years after Jesus died.

Well, there wasn't really a Catholic church per se for several hundred years (although the Catholics of course hold that it has been an unbroken line since Peter). The history of the early church was actually pretty diverse, but the Catholic church systematically crushed every offshoot that it could, IMO.

Clearly, the early Church did not have and therefore could not make arguments based on the New Testament until, you know, it has been written, let alone compiled and declared canonical. Yes, there were Pauline letters (whether actually written by Paul or not) circulating through the pockets of Christian communities here and there (the very word "Christian" was probably first used as a slur referring to the use of chrism or oil to anoint people in Baptism and other early church rites; hence, the "oily ones.") in the early years, but the fundamental Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura wouldn't even have made sense before the Canon was established.

Insofar as the early Church was at least as concerned with arguing doctrine as it was with making converts, I suppose one could say that nothing much has changed. True, many Evangelicals believe Roman Catholicism is, if not pagan, at least heretical in some of its key dogmas, but when I was growing up the Roman Catholics were much more open about their belief that they and they alone are the one true church and that any prospects of salvation outside the RC Church is, at the very least unlikely.

The putative cause of the Great Schism was a doctrinal dispute but it was really the result of a power struggle. What the Roman and the Orthodox and the Anglican communions all claim is that their bishops descend from an unbroken line of bishops back to Peter. Apostolic Succession, which the Methodists quipped "did not guarantee Apostolic success, is supposedly a safeguard against heresy and, in those communions, a source of authority. For that reason, when a new bishop is consecrated, the ceremony typically involves at least three bishops laying hands on him (or her). Obviously, much of Christianity has rejected the very idea, but the same questions always arise and must be answered in any denomination; namely, what is it that we do believe and who gets to decide what those beliefs are.

My wife seems to have some kind of pathological inability to remember passwords. I tried setting her up with Lastpass and then she can't remember the password to that either. I am pretty much at the point of handing her a paper notebook and saying "Don't ever ask for help with your passwords again."

I sort of feel like a sucker about aspiring to be intellectually rigorous when I could just go on twitter and say capitalism causes space herpes and no one will challenge me on it. - Hugh Akston

For the past couple days the AC's been running almost non-stop -- and with the internal temp around 76 or 77 despite a thermostat setting of 75. At first Jeff and I blamed a combo of "It's been unusually hot here even by north Georgia standards, AND the immediate-downstairs apartment remains vacant, with closed windows but some open blinds and likely no AC running -- we're getting a lot more radiant heat than in our previous summers here."

But after Jeff left for work, he called to say he noticed water dripping from our patio where the outdoor AC unit is, and told me to check for ice. Yup -- it's not completely iced over, the way it was during times our AC outright pooped out for lack of coolant, but there was some ice. And enough meltwater dripping away that one of the wood planks of the patio floor is noticeably green from algae or mold.

[Sigh] Off to tidy up the apartment in hopes some maintenance guy will come by before everyone takes off for the weekend....

"Myself, despite what they say about libertarians, I think we're actually allowed to pursue options beyond futility or sucking the dicks of the powerful." -- Eric the .5b

Could have mowed the grass yesterday. It was tall enough, but it still looked good. Wanted to give it another day, rain is coming later tonight and might rain on and off all week. Got out this morning and fired up the mower. Engaged the blades and the deck belt parted. Four hardware stores within driving distance plus a Lowes, nobody has a replacement. Three lawn mower shops around but of course they're all closed on Sunday.
I'll hit them up tomorrow. If no luck then, there's always amazon. Zog knows when I'll be able to mow again. Probably have a family of badgers living in the underbrush by then.

So I had to order a belt. Got it from vbelts4less.com Quality Kevlar belt. Paid for 2 day air. It took three days natch. Could have mowed if it came on time, but of course it rained hard last night on into this morning.
Put the new belt on this afternoon. Fuuuuu, 4 minute job took 40 minutes because every bolt rusted in place and I'm old. But at least it's done now. Here's hoping it doesn't rain for the next 18 hours.

So I had to order a belt. Got it from vbelts4less.com Quality Kevlar belt. Paid for 2 day air. It took three days natch. Could have mowed if it came on time, but of course it rained hard last night on into this morning.
Put the new belt on this afternoon. Fuuuuu, 4 minute job took 40 minutes because every bolt rusted in place and I'm old. But at least it's done now. Here's hoping it doesn't rain for the next 18 hours.

I had to read this a couple times before realizing you were NOT talking about certain men's clothing accessories.

"Wait, what? He ... couldn't mow the lawn because he lacked a belt to keep his pants up?"

"Myself, despite what they say about libertarians, I think we're actually allowed to pursue options beyond futility or sucking the dicks of the powerful." -- Eric the .5b

I invoke the 'This comment immediately follows the comment it's referencing' exception to the 'Quote or link must be provided when referencing another comment' rule.

I think if you'd said 'mower' in reference to the belt anywhere in the first couple of sentences that would've helped. If you click the 'jump to newest unread post' you won't see the above post without scrolling up.

"The constitution is more of a BDSM agreement with a safe word." - Sandy

"Dude she's the Purdue Pharma of the black pill." - JasonL

"This thread is like a dog park where everyone lets their preconceptions and biases run around and sniff each others butts." - Hugh Akston